We Are Moving!

Hey Everyone! I know it's been quiet here, but that's because we are moving!!!

Slowly I will be moving our posts from this blog to our new site. I am so excited about this transition as we move this to a full time ministry. Join us over at www.childbirthconversations.com and be sure to join our email list!

I look forward to restarting the conversation with you!

An Honest Doctor

Today I wanted to share a personal note from my doctor's appointment this week. It is so important to know that you can trust your doctor to give you an honest opinion on what to do. I'm tired and really, really ready to meet my baby. On Wednesday, I had my weekly appointment and talking with my doctor about what to do, he said, "I am on call Friday so we could induce you if you wanted but honestly I'm much more comfortable letting nature take it's course than inducing labor."

I was shocked, but remembered this is why I chose him has my primary OB. I said, "Thank you for being honest about what you think is best and not pushing an induction." It was so nice to hear an honest opinion, than him just telling me what he thought I wanted to hear.

This is so important when choosing a care provider. I know there are some places where it is difficult to find doctors like this, and so sometimes you have to go above and beyond to really educate yourself on what is best. But when you have the ability to choose, choose wisely, Sisters. Ask a lot of questions and get recommendation from people who you can trust.

What questions do you ask? What's important to you?

To Know or Not To Know

With technology today everyone wants to know ahead of time what the gender of their baby is. It's exciting and fun to help prepare for the little one to come. Our family has been quite the opposite. In fact we only found out with 1 of the 7! And it wasn't the first, it was the 6th!

For us not knowing has added so much to the excitement and anticipation of having another baby and for me it's so fun to have Jim tell me the gender of the baby after I give birth. It's so amazing to hear him say, "It's a ...". We are anxiously awaiting those amazing and fun words right now! It might even be adding to the anxiety! Does that mean it was a bad decision? Not for me. Not knowing gets me through! But I know for others that is not the case. If you think you want to wait, you can do it!

So how about you? Have you found out the gender ahead of time? How did you decide?

I Surrender All

All to Jesus I surrender

All to Him I freely give

I will ever love and trust Him

In His presence daily live

I surrender all

I surrender all

All to Thee my blessed Savior 

I surrender all

This hymn has been sung for at least a couple centuries and often holds a place in the hearts of Believers. It is often sung as a hymn of invitation in services that have a special time of response. As we sang this at church on Sunday in our normal sing time, it really hit me. Do we mean this? Do I mean this?

As I write this I'm am anxiously awaiting the birth of our 7th child and I can tell you this past week I have been fretful, anxiety ridden and demanding for God to bring this baby NOW because it's what I want. It has made me angry and ill-tempered as well as stressed out. Singing "I Surrender All" on Sunday reminded me I have no right to demand anything of God because I have surrendered all of my life to Him and I am to trust His best for me.

This doesn't mean that I cannot ask and cry out to Him in my struggles. But my asking should be done in a posture of humility, Thy will be done.

Jesus, give me the grace to fully surrender every aspect of my life to You! How much I need Your grace and love to fill me as I wait. Help me to live for You in the power of the Holy Spirit while waiting and asking in humility. Let me be Your hands and feet no matter my circumstances.

I also ask you would help all of your Daughters to surrender their all to you, especially their pregnancies, their births and their children. Remind them today that You are over all and You are working for Your glory and their good in these circumstances.

How are you surrendering your pregnancy, your birth, your child to God?

Third Trimester Nausea

With my 6th baby once I hit 30 weeks I started waking up feeling sick again and coming close to throwing up frequently. I had not experienced this before and thought it odd. I know some people never get rid of morning sickness, but for it to come back I thought was odd. But apparently not! There is no explanation for it, it just happens to some people, and with my 6th and now with the 7th I have developed it again.

I continue to take B6, which is supposed to help. It does not seem to make much difference for the third trimester, in my experience. Honestly, I have found that eating something high in protein and good carb as soon as you can helps more than anything. I've never needed any medicines like I sometimes do in the first trimester. I think it may simply be the body craving a little extra nutrients to finish out the pregnancy strong, but again we do not really know why this happens.

Have you experienced third trimester nausea? What helps you?

Heartburn

So who out there struggles with heartburn? I know I do. That has been the one thing that is consistent with all of my pregnancies. Heartburn occurs when you have an excess amount of acid in your stomach and it leaps up into your esophagus. It burns!

Because I've been through this a few times, I usually have Zantac or off brand equivalent available in the house and take it once a day. If it's a really bad day I will take it twice. You can take 75 mg or 150 mg. I always start with the lower dose if I have it, because you can always take more but cannot take it back once ingested.

I also have Tums or off brand equivalent handy for those moments I need something now!

Other things that can help are milk, ice chips, eating something bland such as crackers, bananas or toast. I'm sure there are also natural remedies that I'm currently not familiar with, but will add to this as I learn more about them. This is my current experience.

What do you do to help with your heartburn?

Preparing Spiritually for Childbirth with Kids

We know kids are a blessing. The Bible makes the truth of this very clear. But sometimes they can feel very inconvenient. It's easy to talk about preparing spiritually, having time to read, pray, reflect when there is no one around or you have the ability to make your own schedule for the most part. But let's be honest, when there are kids involved it makes it a lot harder.

Anyone who knows me or has been following this blog knows that I have 6 kids and am preparing for my 7th birth. Guess what. It's not been nearly as easy preparing this time around! I find myself shorter in temper quite often and doubting that God will bring this baby. I read my Bible while dealing with fights, disobedience, dirty diapers and kids screaming just because. I yell please be quiet for just a few minutes so I can pray. It's not easy.

So how can we do this when we have kids in the house demanding most of our attention?

Pray Without Ceasing

God commands us in His Word to do this anyway (1 Thessalonian 5:17). How much more do we need to do this when preparing for birth and caring for young ones! Be in constant contact with your Lord and Savior. He knows your heart and your life. Bring it all to Him and let Him fill you up.

Share With Your Kids

There are times I look at my kids and say, "I'm hurting" or "I'm struggling" and we talk about the baby and that is hard. We sometimes pray together or they pray for me. Sometimes it ends with just a statement and them moving on to something else. I'm not always great at it, but I do let my kids know I am human and that being pregnant is hard even though it is a great gift.

Read When You Can

I do read my Bible over breakfast most mornings, but it is still chaotic with everyone running around. Therefore I sometimes need to find other opportunities to dig into God's Word. I haven't done as well this time, but during our reading hour I may read more Scripture. If I am able to get up before my kids (which has not been often this time) I will read before they get out of bed. Another idea is to leave a Bible open in a place you often work and read while doing a common chore. You can put Scripture around the house on cards, windows, mirrors, etc. Find away to read God's Word everyday.

Memorize Scripture with Your Kids

Memorizing Scripture is so important to preparing. Instead of doing it on your own, pick a verse or passage and teach it to your kids. They need to memorize God's Word as much as you do. And they'll love doing something with you. They also give you a challenge because frequently they will memorize it faster than you!

Plan Time By Yourself

This obviously will be easier for some than others. By God's grace Jim has a flexible schedule and I am able to get away for a Mama's Day Out before each birth, which is the majority of the day. Even if you can just get a couple of hours, it can be a great benefit to have time by yourself to pray, read, write in a journal and reflect on what is to come.

These are just a few ideas. Maybe you have more to share. How do you prepare spiritually for birth with kids in your house?